Which mic for upright bass?

mshilarious said:
I haven't tried it, but it makes sense to me. In that respect the front and back of a bass is analogous to a snare drum.
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Yep, that's it... Instruments of the violin family have a sound post that not only hold the top up under string tension, but it also 'connects' the top with the back... When violin makers make the tops and backs, they 'tune' them to 2 different notes... I believe the top is D, and the back is E... (Maybe the other way around...) At any rate, yes, the back resonates too. These combined give a 'full' sound when the strings are bowed.

If you've ever noticed violin players using a shoulder rest... This helps wedge the violin between their shoulder and chin...but it also supports the back at it's edges and doesn't allow the shoulder of the player to 'mute' the vibrations of the back... You can play a violin with and without a shoulder rest and there is a definate difference in it's sound...

A few years back a guy invented a "wire frame" device for mandolins to help hold the back of the instrument off the players belly... This device is marketed as: "ToneGard". I think it was originally invented to keep from scratching the back on buttons..etc, but it does enhance the sound... Even though a mandolin doesn't have a soundpost, it still enhanced it's sound... I'm attaching a picture of one of these devices, ToneGard...

BTW, I also mic both sides of my fiddle when I'm recording... I use 2 ribbon mics, one on the top and one on the bottom... It definately make a difference...
 

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Crash © said:
Wow... Another Bluegrasser... You're my hero here now... Goin' to SPBGMA in Feb..??

--
Rob
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I'd been for over 10 year running... I've missed the past 2 years due to other music obligations... If something major doesn't come up, I'll be there...
 
The last time my bluegrass band recorded, we ended up using two Earthworks (like the ECM8000s) in an up/down oriented x-y position in front of the bass, close to where the neck attaches to the body. The result was quite impressive!
 
Update: I use the SP B1 regularly these days in the bridge when I need the V77 for something else. The B1 fits well in that big hole with some foam and it sounds more than decent. And of course it's a side adressed microphone, which is an advantage.
 
I posted this just a few minutes ago on another thread, before realising that this was probably more appropriate:

gecko zzed said:
I've mentioned in earlier threads about miking upright bass that I got some surprising results in miking the bass with, of all things, a Behringer C2.

I had tried a number of mikes, none of which were making me glow with satisfaction. In desperation I threw a C2 on the bass . . . and really liked what I heard.

I know that the C2 is not in your arsenal of mikes . . . but . . . sometimes a budget mike does just fine!

Here is a 60 second, 1 meg sample:

http://www.box.net/shared/uim1h825c4

The performers are:
Matthew Ives - kit
Hamish Stevenson - double bass
Alex Howroyd - Sax
Lachlan Court - keys

The track is "Something in Five", written by Matthew.
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Nevertheless, what a nice sound you have there, and the C2, isn't that the cheapest ever SDC? Did you put it in the bridge, or did you point it to the bass, and what distance?
 
Han said:
Nevertheless, what a nice sound you have there, and the C2, isn't that the cheapest ever SDC? Did you put it in the bridge, or did you point it to the bass, and what distance?
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Thanks

There was no particular science in its placement. I had it about a foot and a half (maybe 45 cms) away, on a level with, and pointing roughly at, the bridge.

What I did like was the way it captured the 'woodiness' of the bass.
 
I really think many here are overthinking this. When my bluegrass band recorded, we did this:

I put a SM58, with a supplemental foam pop screen, between the 2nd and 3rd strings, the foam-covered head of the mic against the top of the upright bass.

The engineer (my son, as it happened) placed another dynamic mic near the bass, about left-hand level, to capture whatever the first mic would miss (finger slap, etc.)

Both sources were recorded to separate tracks, and blended as needed later. Sounded great.
 
stevieb said:
I really think many here are overthinking this. When my bluegrass band recorded, we did this:

I put a SM58, with a supplemental foam pop screen, between the 2nd and 3rd strings, the foam-covered head of the mic against the top of the upright bass.

The engineer (my son, as it happened) placed another dynamic mic near the bass, about left-hand level, to capture whatever the first mic would miss (finger slap, etc.)

Both sources were recorded to separate tracks, and blended as needed later. Sounded great.
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I've been playing double bass for about 20 years as well as recording, so I've tried many things. I too have had good results with an SM58 in live situations where I wanted to reduce bleed.

In isolation, recording the bass is no big deal - so your "overthinking" comment is true there. Live recording is where the challenges are. If it's bluegrass with no drummer, it's much easier than other styles where you have drums and amps to consider. :)
 
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